All eyes on Clowney as USC spring practice begins

Jadeveon Clowney

Published: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 12:11 a.m.

COLUMBIA — During a drill at South Carolina's first practice of the spring, fellow defensive lineman and former South Pointe teammate Gerald Dixon inadvertently grazed star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney's face.

Clowney didn't storm off the practice field. Instead, he and Dixon shared a couple of laughs as he finished off practice.

After an eventful offseason filled with controversy about whether or not Clowney should sit out the upcoming season and train for the 2014 NFL draft, perhaps the best player in college football and his USC teammates hit the practice field on Tuesday afternoon at the Proving Grounds.

Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said the topic of Clowney potentially sitting out a season to avoid injury and protect his draft stock was never discussed.

“He loves competing. He loves playing with his teammates, and he knows he's got a lot of goals that he still wants to reach here. There was never any issue of him not playing,” Ward said.

Ward did have a meeting with the rising junior and his parents this offseason, but the discussion was focused on what Clowney needs to do to become a better player.

Ward said the No. 1 thing he needs from his star is constant effort, something Clowney has struggled with at times during the past two years.

“If I could get him to play 100 percent every time, he might be unstoppable. If you want to be the No. 1 player picked in the draft you've got to play hard. He understands that,” Ward said. “It's not that he takes (plays) off. If he wants to make a play it's obvious he's shown he can do that. I want him to make a play every time. I want him to give me that effort.”

Ward said in addition to effort, Clowney has to handle the fame that he's going to receive this season.

His hit during the Outback Bowl on Michigan running back Vincent Smith is still being shown on ESPN and will likely continue to be shown leading up to the upcoming season.

He's also being mentioned as a potential Heisman candidate after finishing sixth last year.

“He understands that there are going to be a lot of people that want to get close to him. We're going to try to keep it as normal as possible. We will try to stretch it a little bit to limit what he does because there's going to be a lot of people who want him to do things,” Ward said. “He understands that this is a big year coming for him performance wise, academically and athletically. He's done a good job the last two or three weeks of handling the situation and we hope he continues the way he's going.”

<p>COLUMBIA — During a drill at South Carolina's first practice of the spring, fellow defensive lineman and former South Pointe teammate Gerald Dixon inadvertently grazed star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney's face.</p><p>Clowney didn't storm off the practice field. Instead, he and Dixon shared a couple of laughs as he finished off practice.</p><p>After an eventful offseason filled with controversy about whether or not Clowney should sit out the upcoming season and train for the 2014 NFL draft, perhaps the best player in college football and his USC teammates hit the practice field on Tuesday afternoon at the Proving Grounds.</p><p>Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said the topic of Clowney potentially sitting out a season to avoid injury and protect his draft stock was never discussed.</p><p>“He loves competing. He loves playing with his teammates, and he knows he's got a lot of goals that he still wants to reach here. There was never any issue of him not playing,” Ward said.</p><p>Ward did have a meeting with the rising junior and his parents this offseason, but the discussion was focused on what Clowney needs to do to become a better player.</p><p>Ward said the No. 1 thing he needs from his star is constant effort, something Clowney has struggled with at times during the past two years.</p><p>“If I could get him to play 100 percent every time, he might be unstoppable. If you want to be the No. 1 player picked in the draft you've got to play hard. He understands that,” Ward said. “It's not that he takes (plays) off. If he wants to make a play it's obvious he's shown he can do that. I want him to make a play every time. I want him to give me that effort.”</p><p>Ward said in addition to effort, Clowney has to handle the fame that he's going to receive this season.</p><p>His hit during the Outback Bowl on Michigan running back Vincent Smith is still being shown on ESPN and will likely continue to be shown leading up to the upcoming season.</p><p>He's also being mentioned as a potential Heisman candidate after finishing sixth last year.</p><p>“He understands that there are going to be a lot of people that want to get close to him. We're going to try to keep it as normal as possible. We will try to stretch it a little bit to limit what he does because there's going to be a lot of people who want him to do things,” Ward said. “He understands that this is a big year coming for him performance wise, academically and athletically. He's done a good job the last two or three weeks of handling the situation and we hope he continues the way he's going.”</p>